You Can Prevent Drafts in Electrical Outlets
After installing weather stripping around your windows and doors and sealing any cracks in the walls you could find, you probably thought your home was ready for the temperature to drop. But one night you are sitting in your living room and feel a rush of cold air hit your neck at the same time you hear a gust of wind outside. You come to the scary conclusion that you’ve missed something and determine that the draft is coming from your electrical outlet. This is actually a fairly common problem, especially in older homes, and can be solved simply and inexpensively by insulating the electrical outlets. Here’s how to do it.
If you are purchasing gaskets to seal sockets, here are some recommendations from this article:
Why does cold air come through the outlet?
If not properly insulated, electrical outlets and light switches located indoors on exterior walls may have gaps that allow outside air to leak into your home. This may not seem like a big deal, but considering that these air leaks can cause the heat to turn on in the winter (or the air conditioning in the summer), they can end up increasing your energy bills.
Additionally, as a source from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory points out, if outside air can get inside your home, moisture can get inside your home too. For example, if moist air condenses inside your walls, you won’t be able to see the water as it accumulates, potentially leading to mold growth, wet insulation, or ultimately structural damage.
But that’s not all: the same cracks that let cold air in also provide similar access for insects, dirt, dust and pollen.
How to prevent cold air from entering through an outlet?
The easiest way to insulate an electrical outlet or light switch is to install a gasket. Gaskets, also known as outlet sealants and outlet insulators, are pre-cut pieces of fire-retardant foam that fit over outlets and under wall panels.
Follow the installation instructions on the package, which will most likely look something like this:
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Start by visiting the circuit breaker box and turning off the breaker that supplies power to the outlet.
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Use a screwdriver to remove the wall plate covering the outlet. (Put the screws in a safe place.)
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Place the pad around the outlet holes and press the foam in.
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Reattach the wall plate.
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Turn the switch back on.
As long as you insulate one of the outlets, you might as well insulate the others—or at least the ones on the outside walls. This makes even more sense since the pads typically come in several packs , including from three of the most recognizable brands in the pad game: Frost King ($6.10 for a six-pack), Duck Brand ($8.49 for a variety pack of 24 pieces). and Stick ‘N’ Seal ($9.99 for 18 exhaust port gaskets and 6 switch gaskets).